Homicide victim identified as 16-year-old boy

Police say a 16-year-old boy from Southeast Portland was found dead from a gunshot wound in a parked vehicle in Northeast Portland early Monday morning.

The death appears to be a homicide. Although the name of the victim was not immediately released, police say he has no known gang or drug ties, and the motive for the shooting was not known to investigators.

According to police, at 3:04 a.m. on May 12, North Precinct officers responded to Northeast 59th Avenue and Simpson Street on the report that neighbors had found a deceased male, who appeared to have a gunshot wound, seated inside a parked vehicle.

Officers and medical personnel arrived and checked inside the vehicle, where they located a deceased male, later identified as the 16-year-old boy who resides in Southeast Portland.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the victim suffered fatal gunshot wounds while he was sitting in the driver's seat of a red 1994 Nissan Sentra. Neighbors reported hearing possible gunshots at approximately 1:40 a.m. but did not call 9-1-1 so police were not notified of the shooting until more than an hour later.

At this point in the investigation there is no suspect information.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy on Tuesday to determine the exact cause of death. The victim's name will be released will be released after the autopsy.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Detective Mark Sponhauer at (503) 823-0416, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or, Detective Kristina Coffey at (503) 823-0696, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..